And nepotism won't come into play when it's time for him to head to Washington, the alderman said.

If he wins, Beale said he hasn't decided whom to recommend to Mayor Rahm Emanuel to replace him in the City Council.

"But I can tell you this — it won't be a relative," Beale said.

Regarding his congressional run, Beale said, "My message today is the same as it has been for the last 14 years — and that's jobs. We need to send a jobs creator to Washington, D.C., and I am that person.

"Crime is high because there are no jobs, and foreclosures are high because there are no jobs," Beale said after casting his ballot Tuesday at Frank Bennett Elementary School on the South Side.

Beale is one of 15 Democratic candidates running in a special election to replace former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who resigned in November after winning re-election. Last week Jackson pleaded guilty in federal court to misspending campaign funds and awaits sentencing.

The 2nd District stretches from Hyde Park on Chicago's South Side to Downstate Kankakee, where Beale said he has a campaign office.